Iraq War vet hurt at protest wins suit

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – An Iraq War veteran whose skull was fractured during an Occupy Oakland protest when he was hit by a beanbag round fired by police has reached a $4.5 million agreement to settle a federal lawsuit with the city of Oakland, his lawyers and city officials announced.

Scott Olsen, 26, sued the city in 2012 for medical expenses and injuries that also included a fractured vertebrae and hemorrhaging of the brain. He was among more than 1,000 demonstrators protesting the police clearing of an Occupy Oakland encampment when struck by a beanbag fired by an officer outside City Hall on Oct. 25, 2011.

Olsen, who served two tours of duty as a U.S. Marine in Iraq, suffered permanent brain injuries and has not been able to return to his career as a computer systems administrator, his attorney, Rachel Lederman, said after Friday’s settlement. Olsen’s lawyers said police investigators concluded he was struck by the round that was fired by an officer less than 9 meters away during the 2011 clash.

Olsen said Friday outside City Hall there are no winners in the case. He said it’s been a very difficult and stressful 2½ years for him, from being in the hospital to relearning how to talk to dealing with the lawsuit.